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I have been using it since it was released to the development community and it really is "what Vista should have been" much quicker, more streamlined with a much improved taskbar. I installed on my 6 or so year old Inspiron 6000 laptop that was running XP so I had to do a "clean" install (wipe the drive and install). So some of the speed increases I have seen could be more a function of wiping my drive than the OS itself, but it needed to be done so it's all good. The startup and shutdown time are much quicker, Windows 7 uses delayed startup functionality for some services so it doesn't load EVERYTHING at startup.
If you are buying a new PC with Windows 7 installed, don't sweat it, it'll be good. But if you are upgrading an old PC, do your homework and be aware of the work involved. some things to keep in mind, all may not apply but they are some things to think about;
Backup, backup and backup - Did I mention to backup your data files
BTW don't plan on using any backup files you made in XP, Microsoft changed the backup file formats.
Download hardware drivers before the upgrade as a backup, (if windows 7 drivers are not available for your hardware, use the Vista drivers they are compatable) save the drivers to a thumb drive or external. At a minimum download a network driver, (wireless or wired) that way if things go very wrong at least you can still get on the internet and download updates or help.
I do recommend Windows 7, something I could NOT do with Vista.
Just my $.0501-04-10 05:40 PM
